FRISCO, Texas — Brian Schottenheimer said the backup quarterback competition between Joe Milton and Sam Howell is not settled and that the Dallas Cowboys are not ready to name a No. 2.
Dallas kept 3 quarterbacks on its initial 53-man roster. Dak Prescott is the starter.
“At the end of the day, we just feel like the competition’s not completely settled, and we need to work through that,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re constantly ripping through numbers and video and film, and at the time we’re not ready to make the decision.”
Joe Milton And Sam Howell Made The Dallas Cowboys Keep Three Quarterbacks
Milton came to Dallas in a trade with the New England Patriots in 2025. Howell signed with the Cowboys this offseason. Both were on the roster when Dallas reached the limit Sunday.
“I think at the same time, the competition’s not over,” Schottenheimer continued. “We need to continue to assess so many positions, but those guys have made it really, really hard on us. It’s been an awesome competition. And we’re still piecing the puzzle together.”
Brian Schottenheimer On The Third Quarterback Designation
Schuyler Dixon of The Associated Press asked how the competition looks if Dallas uses the third quarterback designation in the opener.
“We haven’t finalized that. We’re in a ramp-up deal. We’re just going to keep competing and keep going,” Schottenheimer explained. “Today’s going to be a phase two type day where we get the guys out. We’re calling it back to basics. We’re doing a bunch of individual. They’re going to be doing back pedals and breaking on balls and hand placement and drops for quarterbacks and things like that. Tomorrow and the next day, the plan is just to keep competitions at all spots open. And when we come back on Monday for the bonus Monday, then we’ll have a much better idea of exactly how we want to do rotations.”
The Cowboys practice Tuesday in shells for an hour and a half and Wednesday for an hour and 45 minutes at 8 a.m. CT. Players return the following Monday.
Dallas opens the regular season Sept. 13 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
